


Broken Monotony (Underfell)

by InvisibleLee



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Death, Depression, Gen, Genocide, Ill tag it as i go i think, Triggers, Underfell, Undertale becomes underfell, Violence, undertale - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-01 05:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10915470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvisibleLee/pseuds/InvisibleLee
Summary: When Papyrus changes things up in his meandering, everyday life, bigger changes start to follow. His whole world flips upside down.Witness the creation of the Underfell Universe, all spawned from one single thing-Breaking monotony.





	1. Breaking the Habit

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Flowey Is Not a Good Life Coach](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5056333) by [unrestedjade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/unrestedjade/pseuds/unrestedjade). 
  * Inspired by [Bloomtale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8200369) by [Kaitogirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaitogirl/pseuds/Kaitogirl). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how I got this way  
> I know it's not alright  
> So I'm breaking the habit  
> I'm breaking the habit tonight
> 
> \- -
> 
> Papyrus changes a little nightly habit. But he has no idea the wide effect it will have on everything else.

Papyrus laid out on a small patch of grass, staring up at the sky. Or, rather, what was supposed to be the sky. Rock speckled with shiny little jewels to imitate the dazzling stars of the real world. It was a shame - real stars were probably so much nicer than those glitzy trinkets fixed to the stone. Something truly worth admiring. Nevertheless, this was what Papyrus had, and this was what he would watch.

It was a night like any other. That is, except for the fact that he was here, and not asleep in bed. What had drawn him out was a wonder that he couldn't quite figure, and it was slightly frustrating. He shifted his position as he debated it, bones protesting after having been settled for nearly an hour. He blew out a breath, watching the puff of air escaping. He slipped his fingers around the soft scarf he wore, swiping the material over his face to rid of the dew that had gathered around his cheekbones. It was nearing the time he would wake, he knew, and he had spent an ungodly amount of time here. If Sans knew...oh, heavens, he couldn't. Sans would ask questions or fret unnecessarily. It would be agony. He would simply have to go home.

It was strange, how much he didn't want to go. It wasn't as if he had anything to worry about. Maybe there'd be some laundry to gather and do, maybe he'd have to feed the pet rock...but no pressing responsibilities that would have him stressed. Yes, he would have to be ready for sentry duty, and yes, he would have to maintain a certain level of energy, but it wasn't really that hard.

Upon further pondering, he found himself standing slowly, brushing off what little snow that had gathered in his clothing. A glance at the stone ceiling had him shaking his head. Yes, he knew what it was now, something that hadn't ever really occurred to him before.

The monotony.

Oh, yes, the pattern of his everyday life was beginning to get to him, really get to him. Ever since he had gotten his brother and himself jobs with sentry duty for the Guard, his life had become one endless loop, repeating over and over. No human, to his knowledge, had passed through in the last, oh, six years, and he wasn't sure if there would ever be another. Six had come, and a seventh would not. He'd be lucky to even hear a lie about it. It was a pressing matter, something that made him heave a sigh, trying to release tension. He'd heard of two of the six before, brief little snippets of information he'd gleaned from files at Alphys’. Papyrus smiled slightly, imagining what his friends would say if they knew he'd peeked around in their things.

But, to his credit, he'd wanted to catch a human for the guard since he was young. Not that anyone really knew him back then. A majority of the town couldn't seem to recall him before six years ago. It wasn't a fact that he thought on very much, and he wasn't starting now.

He made his way slowly back towards home, his boots, a bright red, leaving large smudges and footprints in the snow. It had snowed freshly only a few hours ago, and he took a small satisfaction in being the first to break the even coat of white cover. It was an old habit of his to allow others out before him, and, somehow, the breaking of said habit gave him an odd sensation of triumph.

Perhaps this was a sign of changes to come, and the thought brought a little smile to his face.


	2. A Change Would Do You Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> God's little gift is on the rag,  
> Poster girl posing in a fashion mag,  
> Canine, feline, Jekyll and Hyde?  
> Wear your fake fur on the inside.
> 
> \- -
> 
> Things are changing. Something happened, and Papyrus missed the memo.

Papyrus returned home, having already allowed his reasons for being out to escape him. Things didn't trouble him very often, and pondering on those things, brooding, weren't really his thing. It was Sans’ spot to worry and brood and ponder and laze about. He slipped in through the front door quietly, stepping along with as little noise as he could manage. He expertly dodged the creaky sections of the staircase, something Sans was never careful enough to do. Despite the irritation it caused himself, of course.

Nevertheless, Papyrus tiptoed his way up to his bedroom, slipped inside, and heaved a sigh of relief when he noted the time was just a few minutes shy of his normal waking time. He felt quite tired, but he squared his shoulders as he peered into the mirror. Yes, he was tired, but put a smile on that face and talk just as loud as usual, and no one could possibly tell.

As he looked at his own image, for a moment, he sank back into that thought of just earlier. Of all the monotony that he had unknowingly surrounded himself with. Every day, he woke, guarded the sentry station, ended his shift, went to train with Undyne, and then came home to check on Sans before going to bed. There were a few more random variables, like if Alphys joined to see Undyne, if he stopped by Mettaton hotel for a bite to eat. But none of those things were different, either. They always seemed to happen in the exact same way. It was almost disturbing to realise how similar every day was to one another. It was a wonder he could tell yesterday from the day before. And how long had this been happening? 

Routines were one thing. This was plain and simple, boring monotony. 

The alarm shilling out its beeps startled Papyrus out of his thoughts, and he hurried to turn it off. The noise seemed to echo around in his skull. A headache was coming on, from his lack of sleep. Shaking it off, he spared another glance to the mirror, grinning, now, and hurried from the room, calling out his usual greeting:

“SANS! WAKE UP, YOU LAZY BONES!” He gave a good pound on his brother's door for emphasis and thumped back down the stairs. He lifted the bottle of sprinkles to dash a few over top of the pet rock and made his merry way into the kitchen, peering into the refrigerator. They had very little food left, he thought, pulling out a Tupperware container of leftover spaghetti, pushing aside the greasy burger that Sans had no doubt picked up from Grillby. He dug through a drawer and pulled out a dingy metal fork, quickly devouring the foodstuff. It was refreshing, at least, to gain back a little energy. 

He was so tired, still, that he hardly had the thought to be impatient. Ten minutes later, Sans tottered his tired way down the stairs, rubbing his eye sockets and peering at Papyrus.

“you okay, bro?” Sans said. “you didn't even yell at me.”

Papyrus blinked, and then he gave a laugh. “I KNEW YOU WOULD COME DOWN, BROTHER! I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE...ERM, BETTER TO BE PATIENT INSTEAD!” Sans gave him a long look, and then he gave a shrug. It didn't seem too pressing, so he let it go.

“whatever you say, paps. i'm all ready to go.” Sighing slightly, Papyrus placed his bowl into the sink and followed Sans out the front door.

It was just as cold as it was earlier, and the snow had finally stopped falling. His footprints weren't covered, he knew, but there were enough Monsters out and about by now that it wasn't a concern. He walked alongside his brother, bickering as they always did about Sans’ horrid puns and sleeping habits. Papyrus managed to hold off his exhausted yawn until he had left Sans back at his station, trundling along to find his own. 

He was exhausted. Keeping up with his own expected outlook was far more difficult than he had thought it would be, and it drained what little real energy he had in stock. When he arrived at the rickety structure, he leaned against the wood on a rather uncharacteristic manner as he sat down in his chair. One hand lifted to problem his chin up, elbow on the counter. He could see why Sans liked this position so much. It was rather comfortable, and slowly, his sockets drooped to close…

 

Papyrus was woken by the sound of footsteps, and he jerked upright in slight panic, thinking it to be his brother. When he looked, though, he only saw the small Monster Kid toddling towards the entrance of Snowdin.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING AWAY FROM TOWN?” Papyrus inquired as he passed. He was refreshed by his nap.

“I hear there's a Human! Just outside Snowdin! But those mean guards told me to scram before I could check.” The child formed a pout, and would have crossed his arms, had he had any. Papyrus was startled to hear such a thing - a Human, here? He could hardly believe it. He gave a hum to the kid and watched him head back to town. 

As soon as the child was out of earshot, Papyrus laughed aloud, relishing this moment and discovery. Finally, a Human he could meet! One he could bring to Asgore and Undyne, as he had been told to do. He could finally live up to the nickname of the  _ Great _ Papyrus!

He stepped out from behind his station, taking a beginning step towards the place from which MK had come. But he hesitated. There was an odd chill that settled around his bones, as if something warned him against going in that direction. The oddest part of it was that he couldn’t explain the feeling to himself. Not even nervousness could cover the emotion he felt. 

It was not often that Papyrus was truly intimidated, but this feeling, this aura being exuded by that forest section, was far more intimidating than Papyrus could imagine. 

Reasoning to himself that Sans, likely at home, as he often snuck away during duty, would like to know of the interesting development, Papyrus turned on his heel and started off for Snowdin. His mind was alight with thoughts, thinking of his clearly upcoming battle with the Human. He would practice just before, of course, hone his attacks pre-battle. He would defeat them all so easily, he knew it!

Perhaps it would be something like in his dreams. He would finally see the Surface, finally get what he wanted most. He would have friends and admirers galore!

It would be wonderful.

He hurried away to his home, shoving the door open and calling out to his brother. “I WILL NOT CHASTISE FOR YOU HAVING LEFT YOUR POST AGAIN, BROTHER, FOR I HAVE WONDERFUL NEWS! A HUMAN HAS COME!” He stood in the open doorway in his signature dramatic pose, but he heard nothing for several moments. Narrowing his eye sockets, he shut the front door slowly, calling out once more.

“...BROTHER? DON’T TELL ME YOU’RE ASLEEP AGAIN?”

After another minute of silence, Papyrus huffed and started up the stairs, creaking them the whole way, despite the minor annoyance it caused. “SANS! WAKE UP! FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, HOW CAN YOU SLEEP SO MUCH! I SWEAR, YOU’LL END UP WITH BONE SORES IF YOU KEEP THIS UP.” He jiggled the doorknob experimentally, unsurprised to find it locked tight against his intrusion. 

“YOU REALLY SHOULD STOP LOCKING THIS DOOR, SANS. I HAVE A KEY TO IT, ANYWAY, SO I DON’T KNOW WHY YOU DO IT ALL.” He slid a small key into the lock, swinging the door open. He opened his mouth to say something triumphant, but he stopped in his tracks.

The room was empty. Messy, yes, but empty. The laundry was strewn about, as usual, the trash tornado was blowing around, but the bed was lacking his brother.

Papyrus couldn’t quite comprehend the situation at hand. His brother was missing. It was a fact. A statement. Yes. It was the truth. Unless he was at Grillby’s. For a moment, Papyrus felt relieved, but it occurred to him that Sans  _ never _ went to Grillby’s earlier than...a glance at the clock told him Sans wouldn’t even think about going down there for another few hours.

So where was he?

It didn’t occur to Papyrus that fear had overwhelmed him until he realised that he had been standing there for upwards of thirty whole minutes. He finally managed to grasp his thoughts and turn from the empty room, rush down the stairs and out the door, into the town.

His immediate reaction to comprehension was to bang on the door of the little eatery. He called out, but no one answered the door. It was unheard of for the place to be closed, and it sent a shiver down Papyrus’ spine. He tried the other buildings, but they were all void of another person’s presence.

It was the shopkeeper’s place that disturbed him most. The door swung open, and for a moment, he thought he’d finally found a place with other Monsters in it. However, taped to the counter was a note. It read messily - 

_ Please don’t hurt my family. _

It send a perversion of fear over his soul, and he rushed from the vacated building, clutching the hand-scrawled note tightly in his hand, a sort of anchor to keep him from allowing panic to overwhelm him. The trees of Snowdin flew past him in a blur as he ran through, past his home, to the entrance to Waterfall. He came to a panting stop before it, hardly able to breathe around the consuming fear, the choking anxiety. He tried desperately to calm and regain composure, looking up from his boots.

Only to promptly be confounded by something laying on the ground in a blue lump on the snow. He approached it slowly, cautious. Reached out with one hand. Touched it.

It was Sans’ jacket. 

_ Sans’ jacket. _

He would never leave it unattended, he reflected as he lifted it up from the ground, shaking the snow from the fabric. Sans wound  _ never _ have just left it on the ground like that.

What was going on around here?

He stood upright and tightened the scarf around his neck against the sudden wind that swept through. It was strangely gritty, as if the wind had sifted through sand and not snow. Taking a deep breath, he continued through to Waterfall.

  * \- 



This area was just as desolate as Snowdin had been, lacking anyone at all. Sans’ telescope station was abandoned. He had held out some hope of Sans being there, and all hope quickly drained. Whatever happened to Sans, he was determined to find him.

The place was eerily quiet, with the soft sound of water flowing to back it. There were no voices, no echoes of laughter as there often was. Even the Echo Flowers had gone silent in the abandonment of the area. Papyrus hated it. 

Undyne's place gave him no further answer. He was not admitted entrance, nor was he yelled at. Even a phone call to the fish monster yielded no clues.

The hotdog stand in Hotland was empty, and Alphys’ lab was locked and refused his presence from being admitted. He peered at the camera mounted on top of the door, almost willing it to tell his something. Anything.

There was nothing.

He continued on. The long passages of the Core were void of the normal obstacles. Everything was gone. It seemed as if the whole of the Underground had packed up and left somewhere. The wind kept on blowing harshly against him, sifting about the grainy substance that he couldn't quite place. 

Or maybe just didn't  _ want _ to place it.

All the way to the castle he went, taking a slight roundabout way to get there just a tad faster. He used to come here when he was somewhat younger, sneaking away and into the halls that were generally off-limits. He would watch the Guardsmen train, walking around to keep the perimeter. He was always just lucky enough to get out of sight.

Or perhaps they just let him be. 

But even the Castle grounds seemed empty and abandoned. He couldn't find a trace of anyone, except that Burgerpants,  who didn't seem to know what was going on, and was more concerned about keeping his job, “If you're not buying, get going. I'm not paid to chat.” 

Where did everybody  _ go _ ?

He stood in the hall leading to the King's room, and he was hesitating. He'd never made a personal call to King Asgore before, and he wasn't sure about doing so, even now, with the problem he seemed to have found. But maybe it wasn't really anything to worry over? It could have been some...giant game of hide-and-seek! Yes, that could certainly be it! 

But...Sans didn't often take part in all that...and if he was  _ it _ , no one had told him.

As he pondered over it, he heard footsteps behind him. Soft, slow steps from the corridor he had come from. Hope blooming heartily in his chest, Papyrus grinned and turned around.

Whoever it was moved in a blur. All he saw was a flash of silver and an odd, deep red, before he felt something slice right through his ribcage. His hands fluttered up to touch the contact point…

His health was gone. All of it. He looked up in surprise, only to see an empty hallway.

_ What… _

He felt his soul float out before him, and with a final breath, he watched it shatter into dust before it all went black.

**Author's Note:**

> This fiction piece was heavily inspired by FINAGLC in the sense that it literally gave me the idea to write this. Although they are not very similar, excepting the corruption of certain characters, it's still been a huge inspiration.
> 
> Also heavily inspired by Bloomtale. I love Kaito and she's been a huge inspiration as well with her Underfell comic on Tumblr.
> 
> This fiction piece is just that. What I write about does not equal my belief system or morals. It does not reflect more than my writing skill and creativity.
> 
> The schedule for this is undecided. I will attempt to post a chapter once a week, but once every month is my max deadline.
> 
> Relationships are undecided. If you want one tossed in, comment about it. I haven't picked any yet.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


End file.
